critical listening
Judging sound carefully
Critical listening is paying close attention to what's being said in order to evaluate, analyze, or judge it—not just to understand or enjoy.
A student practices critical listening during a lecture to assess the strength of arguments.
A music producer listens critically to identify flaws in a mix.
The term appears often in communication and education contexts, distinguished from passive or appreciative listening.
- paraphrasingRestating in new words
- body languageUnspoken physical expression
- tone of voiceVocal quality conveying emotion
- analysisMethodical study of parts
- evaluationDetermining worth or quality
fact checking · interpretation · questioning · discernment · summarizing · empathy · reasoning · comprehension · close reading · reading between lines · synthesis · note-taking · inference · judgment · devil's advocate · debate · discussion · sound bite
- listeningattentive, focused attention, full attention, paying attention, heeding
- language skillsspeaking, reading, writing, fluent, fluency
- Hi-Fiamplifier, speakers, turntable, headphones, stereo
critical listeningpassive listening
Hearing without deliberate focus
half-listening · tuning out · zoning out · ignoring · daydreaming
critical, listening, critic, critics, critique, critiques, critiqued, critiquing, criticism